NBC Gives Leno 10 p.m. Weeknight Slot Starting in Fall ’09

NBC has found a way to keep Jay Leno in the Peacock fold, signing the comic to host a Monday-through-Friday comedy/talk show at 10 p.m. starting in fall 2009.
That’s the word from industry insiders who’ve been briefed on the plan, which is expected to be formally announced Tuesday.
Mr. Leno has signed a new multiyear deal with NBC and will be given a significant pay raise, since his new show will be in prime time.
The agreement allows NBC to keep Mr. Leno on its team while also protecting soon-to-be “Tonight Show” host Conan O’Brien from facing significant competition from Mr. Leno. It had been widely expected that Mr. Leno would jump to ABC or Fox if he left NBC.
The deal with Mr. Leno also will allow NBC to lower its prime-time production costs. While Mr. Leno won’t come cheap, NBC will now have five hours of prime-time it no longer has to worry about programming.
All of the networks have had trouble launching 10 p.m. dramas in recent years, with many viewers choosing to watch prerecorded shows in the hour. Mr. Leno’s program is seen as more DVR-proof, since it will be live and topical.
NBC declined comment.

76 Comments

Um…WHAT??!! This has to be the most idiotic thing they’ve ever done. Do they have ANY faith in their latenight decisions? Letting Leno leave in ’09 was a mistake in the first place. Then getting Conan, who has become as stale as a pumpkin flavored doughnut in Spring, to replace him was an even bigger mistake. There’s a reason why NBC is in 4th place this year. They’ve removed Deal or No Deal and replaced it with a horrible looking hidden camera show from Howie. They’ve trotted out bad revivals of equally bad 80’s shows for the past two years. They keep throwing money at Kath and Kim, a really horrible remake of a foreign show, when they could give money to their Law and Order franchise and actually have some recognizable people in the main cast of the original.
The writing is on the wall. NBC is on its way to becoming the only network airing the Super Bowl to still be in last place in the ratings.

It’s interesting. This is nearly the bill of goods NBC tried to sell to Letterman during the dust-up in late night 15 years ago … a primetime slot he’d share with Leno. One has to wonder how the net will program each night leading up to the Leno hour?

I’ve been waiting *years* for one of the old-line networks to do this. Fox has had an advantage over them for all these years, and it made sense that at some point, the weakest of them would make this move. It makes especially good sense for NBC right now.
Wait and see whether they eventually let the affiliates move their news to 10 and Leno to 10:30. I bet that happens within a few years, assuming the experiment is a success (and I see no reason it wouldn’t be.)

Now I can go to bed after Jay Leno. Conan is a Goofball. Keeping the maturity on early is fine because unfortunately I will no longer watch the Tonight show due to the silliness. Which is sad because I’ve watched it for years!

I wonder if NBC will give the affiliates flexibility with this like they do with the 2 extra hours of the Today Show. A local station could do news at 10pm instead of 11pm – then air Jay from 1035pm seamless into Conan at 1135pm into Jimmy Fallon at 1235am.
interesting.

Kudos to Lisa at 7:38 p.m. for giving credit to Tom Shales, who made this very suggestion in an impassioned column on this site.
Interestingly, at 2 p.m. this afternoon, after I read a Broadcasting&Cable breaking web story about Zucker’s gloomy UBS Media Summit outlook — where he talked about GIVING BACK 10-11 p.m. to affiliates) — I posted on B&C some “money-saving tips” for Zucker. The first tip was to listen to Tom Shales and put Jay Leno on at 10 p.m.
At 7 p.m., word leaked out that Zucker was doing just that.
If Zucker had this move in his pocket at the Media Summit, then why would he talk about giving back 10 p.m. to affils? Could it be that this was a total impulse move, something he had considered but hadn’t settled on? Could it also be that web tips from Shales and present company rang a bell, resulting in a quick phone call to Jay and a shotgun deal?
Please check this out. I’d like to know how Zucker went from talking about giving back 10 p.m. to affiliates, to stripping Leno at 10 p.m., all in the course of three hours.
This correspondent also suggested that Zucker make Justin Timberlake the Ed Sullivan of the 21st century in a live weekly “spectacular” from Radio City Music Hall. If he does that one, too, I’ll have to get in touch with him!

WOW! What a move. Now let’s see if i have this right…
Now that Leno has the 10 spot, News at 11:00,at 11:30, Conan (this show is for the younger set like 12 to 20 that have to get to bed for school in the morning. I think that people will switch to CBS and Dave Letterman which will make him the new late night leader.
Good move NBC. What the hell were you thinking.

Maybe it’s just because I am a TV traditionalist (probably the reason I am no longer in the business), but I just find it sad. There are quality shows out there. And this just looks like NBC is giving up on finding them. Silverman has made no attempt to hide the fact that he couldn’t care less about quality programming so long as he saves money. (Think: 2 hour Biggest Loser, 2 Hour Apprentice.) I am on the fence as to whether it would be a good idea financially, although if they do allow affiliates the flexibility I would certainly be more apt to agree with it. I like Leno, but I’d much rather find a good drama to watch at that hour. I am really rooting for the other nets to program the hell out of the 10p hour and bury NBC while proving that decent drama’s can be found and can be successful. Their cost cutting will work in the short term, but they’ll still need to find some hits to give it longevity.

Mike:
I’ve been waiting *years* for one of the old-line networks to do this. Fox has had an advantage over them for all these years, and it made sense that at some point, the weakest of them would make this move. It makes especially good sense for NBC right now.
Wait and see whether they eventually let the affiliates move their news to 10 and Leno to 10:30. I bet that happens within a few years, assuming the experiment is a success (and I see no reason it wouldn’t be.)

Mike, you must be writing from the Central or Mountain time zones. It’s confusing there, I know. Leno will be on at 9pm there, not 10. It’s not competing with the news.

Why on earth is NBC even KEEPING Conan O’B, let alone giving him a better slot? The dude is like an “angry gay guy” action doll with plastic, stick-up hair. Pitiful.
I’ll stay with Ferguson. Bawdy but good at it.

Conan O’Brien is a self-absorbed, semi-gay, pointless and humorless stick. It is disgusting to watch his dance, his interrupting guests to call attention to himself once again, no wonder any interesting guests are boycotting his lame show. Feel sorry for Max Weinberg, a really fine drummer, who goes with Springsteen for well-deserved breaks from the insults that Conan heaps on him.

A great move ny NBC. First they are not having to produce drama’s that nobody watches at 10:00 P.M and get Leno to do basically the same show he’s been doing for years. And If (actually when) Conan falls flat on his face at 11:35 I’m sure it won’t be a hard sell to get Leno to take back his old time slot.

I think it is GREAT Jay Leno is going to be coming on at 10:00PM. I have a real hard time getting up at 5:00AM. I think you should also get Asino Hall he should have a show before Jay and that would be a good week of T.V. Conan O’Brien is terrible. the later the better for him. Come on Jay & Asino .With all that is going on we need some good T.V.

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